Chapter 96 Shaw Brothers Studio Day Trip for Three Appearances on the Same Day
In the morning, after having breakfast, Ren Kuang and Sun Dahai drove to the hotel where Cao Yue and the others were staying, picked them up, and headed to Xiangjiang Kai Tak Airport together.
Sun Dahai came to Xiangjiang for the first time in 1999. Kai Tak Airport had been demolished the previous year. Now Sun Dahai, with nostalgia and archaeological thoughts, accompanied Ren Kuei to see them off.
Xiangjiang Kai Tak Airport is very close to Pak Fu Garden, about six or seven kilometers, and it only takes ten minutes to drive there.
Hong Kong Kai Tak Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world. With only one runway, it is responsible for the world's largest cargo volume and third passenger volume.
No wonder Kai Tak Airport will eventually be demolished. It is too small to be expanded. The fact that it is located in the densely populated Kowloon City is enough to cause headaches for the administrators. If an accident occurs, the consequences will be disastrous.
The meeting place for the tour group was at the entrance of Gate 5 of the airport. Ren Kuanxi stopped the car and helped them take out their luggage, but was kicked away by the traffic controller.
But they had already seen the tour guide, holding a flag and waiting for the tourists to gather.
Ren Kuang and Sun Dahai, who were driven away, were chatting in the car.
"Hai Dahai, do you want to go to the studio? There is a car today, so it is more convenient to go."
"Okay, okay, Uncle Hua, is the studio far away?"
"The studio is in Clear Water Bay. Let's drive there. It will take half an hour."
…
The car stopped at a gate with the four characters "Shaw Brothers Studios" engraved on a huge stone sign.
Ren Kunwei got out of the car and walked to the gate guard to go through the entry procedures, while Sun Dahai looked around.
Inside the gate are several low-rise buildings, blocking prying eyes from the outside.
There were more than a dozen people sitting under the shade of the trees outside the door. When they saw the car coming, they stood up and took a few steps closer, but did not step forward directly.
Ren Kuanhui received two passes from the gate guard, drove back through the gate, and parked in the parking lot in the yard.
"Uncle Hua, what are those people at the door doing?"
"You say them, they are paparazzi, reporters from some tabloids. They usually make a living by secretly taking photos of celebrities and making up tidbits.
These are newcomers with no connections, waiting to try their luck outside the set. Real reporters from major newspapers have their own regular clients and tipsters. They will only come when there is big news."
"Uncle Hua, why are there no extras at the entrance to the studio? The entrance to the Capital Film Studio is packed with people every day."
"The studio here is relatively remote, and Uncle Shao Liu manages the studio according to the Hollywood management model. The requirements are strict and no one is allowed at the door.
If you want to be a group performer, you need to find an acting class for training, and then register with the group leader.
Every director and producer has the phone numbers of several group leaders. When they need extra performers, they will call the group leaders, who will arrange suitable extra performers according to the requirements."
"Well, it doesn't look chaotic. However, if the crew needs manpower temporarily, it will be troublesome."
"It's not troublesome. Dahai, look at the buildings behind. They are dormitory buildings. There are usually at least a thousand people in the entire set, including the staff and the crew entering the set. Just say hello and you can find a place to rest.
People help. And they are all insiders, so they are much easier to use than the extras hired from outside."
The studio was very large, and Ren Kuang took Sun Dahai to wander around inside, explaining to him some common sense in this area.
Shaw Studios was built and opened in 1961. At that time, it was known as the largest private cinema in the world. The venue is divided into commercial area, operation area and dormitory area.
Along the way, Sun Dahai saw more than a dozen large studios. Perhaps because of the hot weather in June, only three studios were in use.
Ren Kuan's current status is not that of the movie king he will be in twenty or thirty years. He doesn't have such a big reputation and just casually goes into the studio to watch other people's filming.
The two of them slowed down and walked past the studio to take a look.
The three films currently being filmed are all period martial arts films, each one humming and laughing, and every move is precise.
"It looks like there's only one movie and the other two are TV series."
"Uncle Hua, they all look similar to me, how can you tell them apart?"
"Haha, look at the camera. Film cameras are used to shoot movies, which are different from the tape cameras used in TV dramas." Sun Dahai got some popular science.
They walked through the studio area and came to the street decorated with ancient costumes. A group of people were busy working, and the lighting and camera people were busy adjusting their positions to prepare for the next set of shots.
This is the filming scene of the movie "The Heroes".
One of Ren Kuang's friends is a stage manager on the set, and today he entered the set in the name of visiting him.
Seeing that the crew was transitioning, Ren Kuanxi did not go over. He waved and signaled to his friend, then took Sun Dahai to a place out of the way and sat down to watch the crew work.
Sun Dahai had never been exposed to these things in his previous life. Under Ren Kuang's explanation, he naturally watched them with great interest.
During the break, Ren Kuang and Sun Dahai went over to say hello to director Zhang Che.
Naturally, there are rules for visiting the cast. Ren Kuei paid 500 Hong Kong dollars and provided extra food for the crew at noon.
During lunch, Sun Dahai also had a lunch box from the crew. The lunch box was ordered from the restaurant inside the set.
Today, there are more than 40 people present in the crew, and Ren Kuei's 500 Hong Kong dollars have turned into more than 40 chicken legs and more than 40 fried eggs, which have been added to the lunch box.
Otherwise, it would be better to say that Uncle Shao Liu has a good way of making money. In Kowloon City, a luxurious lunch box with two meat and two vegetables only costs five or six Hong Kong dollars.
Sun Dahai has been chatting with Simon Yam these days and learned that his career has not been going well since he graduated from the wireless artist training class in 1974.
In the past few years, he has participated in ten movies and more than ten TV series, and he will raise his rank from Song Bingyi to male fourth and fifth, and finally have lines and close-ups.
But this achievement, compared with his classmates, let alone compared with the popular Chow Yun-fat and Lam Ling-tung who transformed into a director, even compared with Lin Wenwei and Ng Mengtat who have already had outstanding roles, it is far behind. Far worse.
Ren Kuangxi signed a basic actor contract with Binbin in 1979, and his monthly base salary is estimated to be only 1,800 yuan. In addition, the overall salary of actors nowadays is not high. Based on the value of the role he plays, it is estimated that he will eventually receive less than 1,800 yuan per month. Over two thousand Hong Kong dollars, this is already the result of his hard work.
Therefore, the five hundred Hong Kong dollars spent today was not a small sum to him. Sun Dahai secretly wondered if he wanted to help him?
The stage manager also came over to eat with them. Sun Dahai listened to them talking while eating.
This script manager has worked with Yam Kuang before, and the two have a good relationship. When the film is finished, he and Yam will work together again. The 20-episode TV series "Thirteen Sisters" will start filming in October. Cast and crew They have already signed the contract
Hey, "Thirteen Sisters"? Isn't that sister Weng's debut novel?
Sun Dahai pushed the strange thoughts out of his mind. As a giant who is destined to run in the field of financial investment, why should I consider such trivial matters in the entertainment industry? This book is not an entertainment article.
After the lunch break, the crew continued filming.
Ren Kuang and Sun Dahai still sat aside and watched.
Ren Kuan was secretly learning how to act well, while Sun Dahai was just watching the fun. He even went to learn two Sanshou exercises from Wu Zhi when the crew was taking a break.
At around four o'clock in the afternoon, the crew completed today's shooting plan.
It's a pity that we didn't see any big stars today.
Ren Kuang and Sun Dahai, who were full of regrets, said goodbye to the crew and drove away from the set, ending their one-day trip to the set.